Finding Love for a Cynic

by Tarbox, Deneice

  Delona’s stomach was in knots as Cara taxied down the freeway toward the five-star restaurant where she was to meet Mr. Potential Right. “Thank you for coming with me,” she said to her friend. “I just didn’t feel comfortable relying on this joker to be my transportation.”

  “You’re welcome, but you’ve got to stop sounding so negative,” Cara responded, keeping her eyes on the road. “His name is James. Say it with me. James.”

  “I won’t forget it,” she assured her. “Besides, I’ve noticed I can keep my expression somewhat neutral when I prepare myself beforehand and avoid consuming alcohol.”

  “Good. How did you figure that out?”

  “Koen. We practiced it over dinner the night before the interview, and he’s been having me do it all week during lunch. I can’t believe I’ve met someone in this city who loves ribs just as much as I do.” She paused to muse over some of his antics. A broad smile crept across her face. “You would have been proud of me. I kept a straight face when he asked me if I planned on leaving my wife for him. I can’t say the same for the waitress who overheard him.” They both giggled.

  “You two have been spending a lot of time together,” Cara stated while keeping her eyes on the road.

  “Yeah, but not by choice.” Delona sighed. “Myron and Danny are paying him very well to be my pimp-licist.”

  Cara sniggered while shaking her head at Delona’s comment. “You are something else, Dee. I’m sure he doesn’t like you calling him that. He seems to know what he’s doing though. He got you to stop wearing that god-awful suit you brought from back East. As far as I’m concerned, he’s a magician.” A smile crossed her pretty face.

  “Ha, ha, very funny,” she responded sarcastically. “He is wicked cool though.” What Delona didn’t want to admit to Cara was that Koen was fast becoming another best friend. Although he was a pillar of professionalism in front of everyone else, she had witnessed the relaxed, playful side of him. That side of him was easy to talk to, didn’t think twice about licking barbeque sauce from his fingers, and was totally stress-free to hang around with. He actually listened to her; something few others seemed able or willing to do. Most of all, he took the time to provide an acceptable explanation for what he asked of her. It seemed her whole life had been spent with people talking at her…until now.

  “You know, I think he’s available and lonely. Maybe you and he—”

  “Don’t even try it, missy! My love life is fine just the way it is,” Cara interrupted, cutting her off in mid-sentence.

  Arriving at their destination, Cara pulled up to the valet area. The two women gingerly stepped out of the car once the doors were opened for them and surrendered the keys. “I’ll be a phone call away, okay?” Cara whispered in her ear as they headed inside the restaurant.

  “Where are you going to be?” Delona asked.

  “Probably at the bar. Don’t worry about me. Go have fun,” she encouraged, shooing her away with her manicured hands.

  Delona returned Cara’s smile with a nod. She reached the hostess stand to find that her date hadn’t arrived yet, but upon mentioning who she was and who she was there to meet, she was promptly escorted to the best table in the restaurant. She didn’t fault her date for being late, knowing she was a little early and that L.A. traffic could be murder.

  It wasn’t long before she saw a tall, dark, and handsome hunk heading her way. James was the poster child of good looks with sun-kissed blond hair, long eyelashes, and dancing brown eyes. Delona’s breath caught at the sight of him. He waved her down when she stood to greet him, grabbing her hand and placing a soft kiss on it. Could this be the one? She fought hard not to drool at that moment.

  Then it happened. He opened his mouth, and the magic instantly dissipated. His voice was high pitched and irritating. She couldn’t get over how much this man knew about his favorite topic… himself. He seemed to have no problem sharing that fact. She could have left the table and seriously doubted he would have realized she was gone.

  Delona awoke to hear him saying, “…and they cried when I graduated because they knew they were losing their best player.” Embarrassment warmed her cheeks as the realization that she had dozed off during his latest praise session of himself hit her. Sadly, he hadn’t seemed to notice. He blabbed on, still deep in dialog as though nothing had happened. He didn’t even stop talking long enough for the waiter to get her order. Instead, he ordered for her. Tilapia of all things. She hated tilapia.

  Her thoughts drifted to Koen. Sometime during the week, he had started ordering for her, but not until he was absolutely sure he knew her taste. It hadn’t taken long for them to figure out they enjoyed the same kinds of food. They also had the same appetite. She smiled remembering the look of astonishment on his face when she’d ordered the full rack of ribs and ate every last bit of them.

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying my company,” James said, breaking into her thoughts. He obviously had mistaken her smile as a positive gesture toward something he had said. “Believe it or not, some women find me boring.”

  You don’t say. “Oh,” she responded instead, keeping her true feelings to herself. She hoped like heck her face hadn’t given her away and could only assume it hadn’t when he continued talking, seemingly unfazed.

  Just when she thought she couldn’t take anymore, he called it a night with the excuse of his need for beauty sleep. At least he was polite enough to help her out of her seat and kiss her hand in goodbye. As far as she was concerned, he was kissing any potential of a second date goodbye as well.

  She made her way toward the bar, stopping to pull out her cellphone and give Cara a ring. A familiar form came to stand beside her, immediately drawing her attention.

  *

  “I take it he wasn’t the one,” Koen offered. A fine sheen of sweat could be felt on his forehead as he took in her form up close. She was wearing the hell out of that dress. He had never considered himself a leg man, but he couldn’t stop gawking at hers as she usually hid them under pants.

  “Yeah. That guy was wicked boring.” Delona looked around. A bemused look came to her face. “Wait a minute… What are you doing here?”

  “Why do you sound so surprised? PR reps need to eat too.” He chuckled.

  “Are you keeping tabs on me, Mr. Smith?” she asked, casting him a sly glance.

  “More like looking out for you. I knew you were nervous, so I figured I’d stay close by in case you needed me.” He would never tell her that his heart had almost leaped out of his chest when he first spotted her tonight or how glad he really was when it appeared that things weren’t going so well. He still wasn’t quite ready to admit these things to himself.

  “That’s nice of you, but Cara had my back,” she assured him.

  “Actually, I sent her on her way. She said something about a karaoke party that she wanted to go to.”

  “Ah, man! That’s tonight, isn’t it? I can’t believe I forgot about it, and no one bothered to remind me.” She looked around anxiously. “What time is it?”

  “Eight-thirty.”

  “Do you think you could give me a lift?” she pleaded. “It’s not that far.”

  Koen shoved his hands in his suit pants pockets and cocked his head to the side, pretending to be in deep thought. Delona watched him eagerly. “Well, seeing how I’m supposed to be giving you a lift home anyway, I guess I can do that,” he finally answered.

  People turned to look at them when she suddenly squealed loudly, stomped her feet a few times, and then threw her arms around him. She had no idea what the small gesture did to him. Lucky for him, she released him, stepping away before she could feel the full impact of what her closeness had done to him. He used his hands, which were still in his pockets, to discreetly adjust his clothing against his growing erection. Maybe dropping her off as soon as possible would be a good idea. He needed to get his feelings under control, something he was finding harder to do the more time he spent with her.

  “We are going
to have so much fun!” she babbled before grabbing his hand and dragging him out the door.

  Koen couldn’t resist getting caught up in her enthusiasm. Her joy was contagious, and it viciously tugged at the restraints he had wrapped around such feelings long ago.

  Chapter 8

  Koen was surprised when, instead of turning into the parking lot of some nightclub, Delona directed him up a long driveway where he eventually pulled up in front of an enormous Colonial home. The house was well lit from the outside, showcasing its three stories and fountain, which sat in the middle of the circular driveway. A large number of cars were already parked there. Delona literally bounced out of his BMW before he could round it and open the door for her.

  “Come on!” she shouted excitedly. She grabbed his hand again and led him up the few steps that lined the front of the home. The warmth of her soft brown hand wrapped around his larger pale one gave him little opportunity to escape.

  “Who’s house is this?” he asked as she guided him through the massive oak doors. He could hear the music blaring as they moved farther into the massive structure. Someone was singing Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”, and very badly, he observed.

  “Myron and Danny’s. They always host karaoke night. We do it every couple of months just to let our hair down,” Delona explained. “I thought it would be a great way to break the ice with any newcomers to Soul of the Matter.”

  It didn’t take long for them to make it to the source of the racket. Koen couldn’t believe his eyes. The large room they entered had been transformed into a bonafide karaoke club. The sight of the wet bar raised his guard a little, but the feel of Delona’s hand still holding his aided in tamping it down. The long bar occupied the rear of the room and was very busy with people shouting their orders at the only other person wearing a tie besides him. Everyone else, with the exception of him, Delona, and Cara, was dressed in casual clothing.

  Suddenly self-conscious, Koen started to remove his tie with his free hand while continuing to take in his surroundings. A large stage sat at the front of the room with a DJ set-up to the side. The person on stage was a small Asian woman who couldn’t have been more than twenty-two. She didn’t sound anything like Lady Gaga, but the crowd didn’t seem to mind. It looked like most everyone was on the dance floor having a good time as a disco ball spun and colored lighting flittered about the room.

  “Heeyyy!” Katie said loudly, approaching Delona with her arms wide open. The two women hugged. Katie’s ponytail rocked back and forth as Delona tried to stabilize her, keeping the both of them from toppling over. “I didn’t think you’d be here.” Katie released her boss. It was apparent she’d had a bit too much to drink. “Heard you were out on a date,” she said, slurring her words. “Hey, Koen,” she added, waving at him with a huge smile accompanied by glossy eyes.

  “Hey, yourself,” he replied with a curt wave of his own. Although he was grateful his drinking days were behind him, he found it hilarious to see the ever-efficient Katie full of drink. At least she appeared to be a happy drunk.

  “Oooh!” she declared with wide eyes. “I heard you had started talking with an accent. I like, I like.” Koen blushed, allowing a coy smile to cross his lips. Katie suddenly gasped as if something huge had just occurred to her. “Now that you’re here, you guys can do your number!” she squealed excitedly, jumping up and down. She turned and began making her way through the crowd shouting, “Hey, everyone. Delona’s here!”

  Luckily, the Lady Gaga butcher-er had just finished her number, and the DJ had taken over with some dubstep. A loud cheer went up from the crowd as they continued dancing. Some craned their necks in their direction, lifting their drinks in acknowledgement of her presence.

  Delona started laughing and began to remove her shoes as Koen looked on in confusion. “What’s going on?” he asked.

  Before she could answer, Cara appeared. “Let’s go, sister-girl!” she cried, dragging Delona away.

  Koen grabbed a seat at the bar and immediately turned his attention to the front of the room, ignoring the liquid temptation behind him. He watched as Myron, Danny, Cara, and Delona took the stage. The crowd cajoled them wildly as the four of them lined up with individual microphones and started bopping to the opening music of “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas. Myron and Danny were impressive as they sang the male portion of the song while gyrating to the music. He had never seen them so relaxed sporting matching khaki shorts, white button-down shirts, and beach sandals. The two women danced around in the background doing a combination of hoedown, line dancing, and cheerleading moves until it was their turn to sing. At that point the men took over the dancing, doing moves similar to those seen in the “Vogue” video. Their voices were far from stellar, but they commanded the stage with a super charged energy that spilled over into the horde of people in attendance. The whole thing was kooky and wild, and everyone loved it, including him. He found himself joining Katie and a few others on the dance floor, having the time of his life, the strain of his past temporarily falling away.

  When the song ended, the group of four bowed and blew kisses to the audience as though they were rock stars. The act was well received as everyone cheered and clapped loudly demanding an encore, which they didn’t get. Koen watched Delona as she made her way through the crowd toward him. Concern came over him once he noticed the guilty look on her face. He waved her over, purposely increasing the intensity of his smile so that she knew he was having a good time. He was touched that, though surrounded by her closest friends and family she was still concerned about his well-being. He felt better when her face lit up with a smile.

  “Wow!” Koen exclaimed. “That was quite impressive, Ms. Raes.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Smith,” Delona replied with a curtsy, still smiling. “Perhaps you’d like to give it a go.”

  “Me? Oh, I don’t know about that.”

  “You’re supposed to,” Katie chimed in. “All new employees are supposed to.”

  “What! You’re joking,” Koen accused.

  “Actually, she isn’t,” Myron added, coming up behind him. “It’s our perverse way of saying ‘welcome to the family’. You just saw Lilly do it and she survived. Go on up.”

  Koen noted that the DJ had put on a classic. “Maybe later,” he shot over his shoulder as he turned his attention back to Delona. “Sorry, but I just can’t pass this one up,” he stated, holding out his hand to her.

  “Of course you can’t.” She smiled. Accepting his invitation, she moved fluidly into his arms, placing one hand on each of his shoulders. He rested his hands at her waist and began to smoothly sway side to side.

  As the song played, he found himself pulling her closer, enjoying the smell of her peach-scented shampoo. She giggled when he started singing along with “Yes, I’m Ready.” He couldn’t help teasing her, watching her squirm whenever he purposely blew a word in her ear. He threw his head back in laughter after she slapped his chest while reminding him that he wasn’t Barbara Mason. The two were so wrapped up in each other they hardly noticed the attention they were gathering.

  *

  “Well, sooky, sooky now!” Myron exclaimed. “When did this turn of events take place?”

  “When did what take place?” Danny asked, craning his neck from where he stood beside Myron to see what his husband was talking about. They had stepped over to the bar with Cara to cool down after their performance.

  “Oh, she’ll swear they’re just friends. Had the nerve to try to pawn him off on me on the way to the restaurant tonight,” Cara informed them, waving her hand dismissively in the direction of the dance floor. “Your genius sister is a rock when it comes to matters of the heart. That man is obviously into her and fine as hell at that!”

  “Speaking of the restaurant, how did it go?” Danny inquired as he started rubbing circles on Myron’s back.

  Cara rolled her eyes before she spoke. “Let’s just say…” She clasped her hands together, laying her cheek on top of them and
began snoring in the most unladylike fashion. Myron and Danny got a good laugh out of it.

  “That entertaining, huh?” Danny joked. “That’s too bad. Poor thing wasted her time.”

  “From what I see she might be wasting her time with all of these so-called blind dates,” Myron acknowledged as he continued to watch the couple. “But you’re right, Cara. She’s never been good at the whole dating thing. That’s why she moved in with that shithead in the first place.”

  “Now, now, Myron,” Danny gently chastised. “He really wasn’t bad to her, just not right for her.”

  “What exactly did he do?” Cara asked curiously. “She’s not always one to divulge the facts.”

  “It was more like what he didn’t do,” Myron stated emphatically. “I can’t say it was just him… There were others. But, that boy, Eric, put the boy in ‘mama’s boy.’ He came from money, grew up in Cumberland Foreside, one of the wealthiest communities in Maine. Saying he grew up is a stretch. Delona has always been one to go for what’s practical and logical and assumed that moving in with someone who didn’t have a romantic bone in his body would be fine as long as they loved each other.”

  “That does work on occasion,” Cara stated.

  “It didn’t work that time. The boy was downright lazy, contributed nothing to the relationship or the household, and was selfish as hell. She gave him three years and then decided to move back in with our parents. Our dad called and suggested we bring her out here just in case Eric felt the inclination to try to win her back.”

  “Did he?”

  “Girl, please! As if I’d let him. Besides, from what I hear, the dumbass is trying to save face, claiming that he broke it off with her.”

  “Does Delona know that?”

  “I don’t think it would matter if she did. She’s not one to look back or hold a grudge. As long as he doesn’t try to interfere with the here and now, I can live with it too.” Myron shrugged.